Basket Ball—1, The referee tosses the ball up between the opposing centers to put it in play. 2, A free trial for goal. A foul has been made and the penalized team must stand and see their opponents try for a single point.
XIV. Umpire.
The umpire, or umpires, have control of the game, and are responsible for it. They must see that there is no rough play, and that the game is played according to rules. The umpires judge goals, roll-ins, bullies, corners. They also have the power to punish players for intentionally delaying the game. The ball is in play until umpire’s whistle blows.
Basket Ball
Basket ball needs no introduction. It is probably the most popular game played by girls. Through the work of the Executive Committee on Basket Ball Rules, headed by Mrs. Senda Berenson Abbott, chairman, the playing rules and the conditions under which the game may best be played have been thoroughly studied and set forth in the Spalding Official Basket Ball Guide for Women, No. 7A.
The game may be played either outdoors or indoors, depending upon conditions. When the circumstances permit it is always desirable to play out of doors. The writer is a firm believer in outdoor exercise wherever and whenever possible, but there is a decided need for a wholesome, interesting game for indoors during the long winter months. Basket ball undoubtedly fills this need.
The game is played by two teams consisting of either five, six, seven, or nine players each. If the teams play with five on a side, there are two forwards, a center and two guards each; if with six on a side, there are two centers each; if with seven, three centers; if with nine, three forwards, three centers and three guards.
The court (floor or field) is divided into three equal parts. The lines dividing the court are parallel to the end lines. They are known as field lines. The reason the court is thus divided is to define the space in which the various players may operate. Thus each set of players can operate only on their third of the court, so that the line game makes a minimum physical demand upon the player. That is, the forwards of Team A and the guards of Team B may run only in the third of the floor before the former’s basket; the centers of both teams in the space in middle, and the guards of Team A and the forwards of Team B in the third of the floor before the latter’s basket.
The three general positions call for three different kinds of skill. The forwards should possess a good eye, should have the knack of handling the ball well and should have agility and speed. The center should have height, ability to get possession of the ball and the knack of feeding well, that is, passing the ball to her forwards. The center rarely shoots for the basket in the line game. The guards, as their name implies, must prevent the opposing forwards from shooting a goal, so must be quick, active and able to jump well.